exercise AFTER losing the initial weight?

pamelagw12
pamelagw12 Posts: 4
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi, sorry if this is a repeated question but I was wondering if I should keep up with my same exercise routine (4/5 days a week, vigorous cardio, some strength training 30 minutes) I've gotten to near my goal weight but I was wondering if once I reached my happy size if I should keep up with my exercise routine to maintain my weight loss or if I could slow it down some?

I put in my goals to lose .5 pounds per week. With school starting, I can't really exercise as much or afford to lose a whole lot of weight (clothes are costly!!).

I want to reach 115. I'm down to 122. (I'm just 5 feet tall, a shorty) I'm almost there!
Also, MFP has my calorie goal set at around 1700 (seems a bit much to me honestly). Should I continue to eat at this amount or can I bump up a few calories as well?

I'm a little new to the whole fitness thing, as in I'm still new to calorie counting and portioning my food.

But any help, tips, suggestions, etc would be great. I'm not sure if my food diary is open or not but if it is, feel free to take a look.

Replies

  • steveyinasia
    steveyinasia Posts: 121 Member
    Any exercise that keeps you below your calorie balance for the day should do you good, just don't compensate not eating for not working out, you still need to fuel for your day. Combining weights and cardio will increase the calorie burn so if you don't have much time maybe reduce the cardio to 3 days and increase the weights, cloths will still fit and you will look toned.
  • ianthy
    ianthy Posts: 404 Member
    Hi

    I reached my goal and actually do the same if not a bit more exercise. Helps to keep me in shape, plus I work out better on more cals too.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    You're managing to lose weight because the calories you're expending on an average day are more than the calories you're taking in from food. Once you're at your goal weight, if you want to maintain, you need to get to the point where you're expending the same amount of calories per day that you're taking in. This can come from cutting down your exercise calories, increasing how many calories you're eating, or a combination of both - but I'd be very cautious about trying to do both too quickly as you might well overshoot and start gaining.

    So for example you might start off by increasing your daily calories to 1800 if you'd rather eat more, and see how that affects your weight for a couple of weeks. Then maybe drop a cardio session a week, see how that affects things, etc. Keep adjusting until you're at the right level to neither gain nor lose. Still, for health reasons beyond just weight (strength, bone density, cardio-vascular fitness) it's in your best interest to maintain a certain level of physical activity, and especially some form of regular resistance training.
  • CrystalFlury
    CrystalFlury Posts: 400 Member
    I'd say, don't stop exercising. If you came into this with exercise being part of your routine then dropping it as soon as you hit your "goal" will probably throw you off. Follow what junlex123 said. Perhaps slowly dropping workouts during the week to allow more time to school would be a good choice but don't just quit cold turkey. Watch/log what you're eating, especially if you're anything like me and tend to overeat or just enjoy/over indulge in sweets. Food is a large part of losing, maintaining and gaining weight. Try and keep good habits with it with some exercise mixed in and you should do well.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    I personally am losing weight with infrequent exercise. If you don't enjoy the exercise then it might be a good idea to start slowly toning it down to a more manageable amount of exercise, just make sure your calories consumed are reduced to compensate for the removed exercise. (I exercise about 2 times a week, and other times I work a physical job 1-2 days a week)
  • JoshLikesBeer
    JoshLikesBeer Posts: 88 Member
    It depends on your goals. I'm sure you know that exercise does a lot more for you than just burning calories. The vigorous cardio improves your endurance and makes your heart stronger, and the weight training makes your muscles and bones stronger.
  • caesar164
    caesar164 Posts: 312 Member
    Exercise is for life!
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    It comes down to your overall goals and what you are looking to achieve going forward. I personally do more now, exercise wise than I did while losing weight but I have different goals now... I can tell you that I eat more to fuel my body for the increase in both exercise and not being in a calorie deficit anymore. So what are your long term goals from here on, that will dictate your original question.... Best of Luck

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